Exodus 24

1 And he said to Moses: Come up to the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abiu, and seventy of the ancients of Israel, and you shall adore afar off.

Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to me—you, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel's elders, and worship me at a distance.

2 And Moses alone shall come up to the Lord, but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people come up with him.

Moses alone may come near to me. The others must not come near, nor may the people come up with him.”

3 So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice: We will do all the words of the Lord, which he hath spoken.

Moses went and told the people all of Yahweh's words and decrees. All the people answered with one voice and said, “We will do all the words that Yahweh has said.”

4 And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord: and rising in the morning he built an altar at the foot of the mount, and twelve titles according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

Then Moses wrote down all of Yahweh's words. Early in the morning, Moses built an altar at the foot of the mountain and arranged twelve stone pillars, so that the stones would represent the twelve tribes of Israel.

5 And he sent young men of the children of Israel, and they offered holocausts, and sacrificed pacific victims of calves to the Lord.

He sent some Israelite young men to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice fellowship offerings of oxen to Yahweh.

6 Then Moses took half of the blood, and put it into bowls: and the rest he poured upon the altar.

Moses took half of the blood and put it into basins; he sprinkled the other half onto the altar.

7 And taking the book of the covenant, he read it in the hearing of the people: and they said: All things that the Lord hath spoken we will do, we will be obedient.

He took the book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. They said, “We will do all that Yahweh has spoken. We will be obedient.”

8 And he took the blood and sprinkled it upon the people, and he said: This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words.

Then Moses took the blood and sprinkled it onto the people. He said, “This is the blood of the covenant that Yahweh has made with you by giving you this promise with all these words.”

9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abiu, and seventy of the ancients of Israel went up:

Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel's elders went up the mountain.

10 And they saw the God of Israel: and under his feet as it were a work of sapphire stone, and as the heaven, when clear.

They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there was a pavement made of sapphire stone, as clear as the sky itself.

11 Neither did he lay his hand upon those of the children of Israel, that retired afar off, and they saw God, and they did eat and drink.

God did not lay a hand on the Israelite leaders. They saw God, and they ate and drank.

12 And the Lord said to Moses: Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and the law, and the commandments which I have written: that thou mayst teach them.

Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay there. I will give you the tablets of stone and the law and commandments that I have written, so that you may teach them.”

13 Moses rose up, and his minister Josue: and Moses going up into the mount of God,

So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua and went up the mountain of God.

14 Said to the ancients: Wait ye here till we return to you. You have Aaron and Hur with you: if any question shall arise, you shall refer it to them.

Moses had said to the elders, “Stay here and wait for us until we come to you. Aaron and Hur are with you. If anyone has a dispute, let him go to them.”

15 And when Moses was gone up, a cloud covered the mount.

So Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered it.

16 And the glory of the Lord dwelt upon Sinai, covering it with a cloud six days: and the seventh day he called him out of the midst of the cloud.

Yahweh's glory settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day he called to Moses from within the cloud.

17 And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like a burning fire upon the top of the mount, in the eyes of the children of Israel.

The appearance of Yahweh's glory was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the Israelites.

18 And Moses, entering into the midst of the cloud, went up into the mountain: and he was there forty days, and forty nights.

Moses entered the cloud and went up the mountain. He was up the mountain for forty days and forty nights.